Strictly Loving
by neuroi
Summary: Gertrud Barkhorn loves her little sister, but is it too much? [Incest warning. Takes place in 1951, after the end of the Second Neuroi War.]


As the night fell, Gertrud heard footsteps at the door. A young man was on his way to the Barkhorn home, but not to see Trude. He was coming to see Christiane, Gertrud's younger sister. The idea of Chris seeing men was disgusting to the ex-witch. Men never had good intentions when it came to beautiful girls like Christiane, and Trude wanted nothing more than to protect her dear sibling from the clutches of the corrupt. Getrud hesitated to answer the door, but Chris came dashing down the stairs to meet him, her dress swaying as its weight bounced from side to side. The younger girl looked stunning, as usual. Far too good for whoever awaited her at the door. Chris rushed past her worried sister and opened the door, coming face to face with an average-looking man with dark, short hair and a stocky build.  
"Hello!" Chris chimed.  
"Hi, Chris." the male answered. He had a somewhat high-pitched voice.  
"I'll be back before 9, Gertrud!" Chris looked back to her protective older sister, whose gaze was practically burning through the young man.

'You had better be.' Gertrud thought. She would hardly be able to sleep while Chris was gone. She would have to worry that the boy would have his meaty, grimy hands all over her little sister. Then again, Chris was a good girl. She wouldn't have a man at her age, especially one with such an average look.

Gertrud listened to the radio quietly from a seat near the house's front door, awaiting Chrisiane's arrival. Gertrud was still used to the schedule of sleeping early and arising early, but her tiredness would not overcome her. She had to stay awake for Chris, to make sure her sister was all right. She stood and walked to the window, watching the dark night sky outside. She had let Chris down once before. She was never going to let her sister be hurt again. She stared sadly out the window, thoughts of the evacuation war threatening to make her cry as a sad song played over the radio. A figure appeared in Gertrud's vision from the window. She could make out Christiane's lithe figure, her short-cut hair. She was relieved to see the girl home on time. She kept her eyes fixed on the night sky. Her eyes were still tearing up, and she didn't want Chris to notice.  
"Gertrud? Are you all right?" It seemed that the girl had noticed straight away.  
"Of course." Gertrud answered gruffly.  
"You're crying, Trude. Do you want to talk?"  
Gertrud left her window and sat back down in her comfortable chair. "I was worried about you. That's all."  
"But I came home on time."  
"You did. You're such a good girl, Chris. I didn't want him to hurt you."  
"Hartwin? What could Hartwin possibly do to hurt-"  
"You know exactly what he could do..."  
Chris thought for a moment, pressing a finger to her own cheek. "Do you think I'm still a little kid, Gertrud? Is that it?"  
"I think that you still need to be protected."  
"And you're the one to do it? Because you're a big, tough witch?"  
Gertrud was silent.  
"I don't need protection, Trude. I need freedom."  
As Chris started for the stairs, Gertrud allowed herself a labored sob. Now she had gone and done it. Her sister hated her. "I just don't want anything to take you away from me again."  
"Trude, I'm not going anywhere." Chris turned. "It was just a date. There are no more Neuroi. You have to stop thinking that everything is a crisis."  
"If I lost you again, then-"  
"But you won't lose me again, Trude." Chris sat in her sister's lap. "This isn't the war any more. This is life. You have to adapt to it.  
"I'm sorry, Chris... I just... love you... that's all..."  
"I love you, Trude. I just want you to be happy. You'll never feel any of that happiness until you let go of the past."  
"So I should... forget about it?"  
"Yes, Gertrud. There's no more danger. I'm a woman now, and I can care for myself. If I need a guard dog, I'll buy one."  
"...You're a woman now..." Her tears were starting to dry.  
"Yes."  
"...So you did let that man have you?"  
"Trude! You pervert!" Chris giggled, "I knew you would worry about that happening, but I stayed far from that subject. I'm saving myself for someone important."  
"Good. He'll be a lucky man."  
"A man?"  
Gertrud paused to think about the response. "...You're not referring to a man?"  
"No. I have someone better in mind." she sang.  
"But, Chris..." Gertrud started, "You'll be outcast if you have such relationships with women. Even war heroes I knew-"  
"Oh, please. As if being with a sibling doesn't have more of a stigma."  
"...What?" Gertrud squeaked.  
Chris wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, snuggling up to the older girl. "I really love you, Trude."

Gertrud's mind started wheeling. Was Marseille right? Was Trude truly romantically attracted to her own sister? It was sick and wrong, not only to love someone of your own sex that way, but your sibling as well? 'God, I am sick.' Trude thought. But this was better, wasn't it, than having some filthy man with his mitts all over Chris? Trude wanted Chris to love someone who felt the same way about her, and nobody in all of Karlsland loved Chris as Gertrud did. Nobody in all the world loved her so much.

"I-I love you too, Chris..."  
Chris smiled mischievously. "Prove it."  
"P-prove it h-ho-"  
"Kiss me."  
Gertrud jumped. "I can't! I haven't... I wasn't prepared!"  
"You don't need to prepare for a kiss." Chris leaned her face close to Gertrud's, "You just do it."  
"U-uh... u-uh..."

Chris took a hold of Gertrud's cheeks, pulling her face close until their lips met. Gertrud was red as a beet, but she couldn't deny her sister or herself, even knowing the image it would give her if anyone found out. It was too difficult to say no to such a beautiful girl. Gertrud had tried to project her feelings onto Miyafuji, but she had failed. She tried with Hartmann. She failed. She tried with Wilcke. She failed. Nobody could remove her infatuation with Chris, and she had been wrong even to try.  
"Christiane..."  
"Gertrud?"  
"Chris, you can't do this to me... You know..."  
"Gertrud, this is what we both want, isn't it?"  
"Sometimes people want things that they can't have, Chris. That's what life is about."  
"But this is something we can share. All you have to do is say yes..."  
Chris could always manipulate Trude. All she had to do was put on a charming face, and her elder sister was putty in her hands. There were never any exceptions. Gertrud placed her fingertips on Chris's cheek, looking hopelessly into her eyes before their lips joined together once more. Gertrud had only ever loved Chris. Nobody could replace her Christiane Barkhorn in her heart.


End file.
